Housing for multiple switch units



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United States Patent 3,392,254 HOUSING FOR MULTIPLE SWITCH UNITS Eric L. Long, Highland Park, Ill., assignor to Cherry Electrical Products Corporation, Highland Park, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed July 31, 1967, Ser. No. 657,398

7 Claims. (Cl. 200168) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A compact multiple walled housing for a plurality of switch units with certain walls being common to juxtaposed switch units correctly aligning the terminals, actuators and connecting screw receiving holes of each switch unit when assembled.

Summary of the invention An arrangement of common partitions, each having a common wall with opposite wall faces providing complementary configurations which function to properly position movable switch components, within and between the partitions whereby a plurality of individually or simultaneously actuated switch units may be assembled in a single housing.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed. The novel combination and arrangement of parts will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a complete housing assembly.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the complete housing assembly.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the complete housing assembly.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of one of the internal partitions showing one wall face thereof.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the partition of FIG. 4 showing the opposite wall face thereof.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the partition of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the partition of FIG. 4, and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the confronting complementary wall faces of two partitions in an unassembled relation.

In many industrial installations there is a requirement for a bank or series of switch units to be positioned in a minimum area. To meet this requirement the present in vention is directed to a housing construction for individual switch units, which housing may accommodate an infinite number of switch units disposed in side-by-side relation. This arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 wherein the assembled housing 10 is constructed to contain four switch units.

The switch housing 10 of FIG. 1 includes a case 11 and cover 12, each of which have single wall faces contraining complementary characteristics hereinafter more fully described so that they may be readily arranged at either end of the housing assembly and cooperate with complementary wall faces provided by the intermediate common wall members or partitions 13.

As each of the partitions 13 are similar in construction the one shown in FIGS. 4 through 7 will be described in detail. The partition 14 of FIGS. 4 through 7 has one common inner wall 15 and as seen in FIG. 4 has an outer wall face 16, a portion of which is relieved to form a cavity 17 which normally receives the movable switch components of a snap-action switch of the type de- 3,392,254 Patented July 9, 1968 scribed and claimed in U.S. Letter Patent No. 3,141,075 dated July 14, 1964.

inwardly of the top wall 18 and bottom wall 19 as well as the opposite end walls 20, there is formed a recessed groove 21, which will receive .a positioning flange presented by a confronting wall of a juxtaposed partition in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

Extending through the top wall 18 of the partition 14, and having communication with the cavity 17 is an enlarged channel 22, This channel 22 is adjacent one end and to one side of a vertically projecting flange 23. Formed in the face of the outer wall 16 is a plurality of slots 24, which at their inner end have open communication with the cavity 17 formed in the wall 16 and which slots 24, as shown in FIG. 7, extends partly across the bottom wall 19 of the partition 14. Also formed completely through the common inner wall 15 of the partition are openings 25 through which may be projected connecting screws or the like (not shown) as well as a single center opening 26 adapted to receive a common connecting rivet 27, see FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring now to FIG. 5 there is shown the opposite outer wall face 28 of the partition 14. The face of this wall 28 is likewise relieved to provide a cavity 29 for the reception of the movable switch components. Inwardly of the outer edge of the top wall 18, the bottom wall 19 and end walls 20 of the partition 14 and formed on the wall 28 is a protruding peripheral rib 30 which is adapted to be projected into the recessed groove 21 heretofore described presented by a juxtaposed wall of the next successive partition. Formed through the top wall 18 is an elongated channel 31 which is of a lesser depth than the channel 22 formed in the opposite wall 16 of the partition 14 and separated therefrom by the common inner wall 15, as seen in FIG. 6. The bottom wall 19 of the partition 14 adjacent the base of the wall 28 has formed therein slots 32, which are of a lesser depth than the slots 24 and separated therefrom by the common inner wall 15, as seen in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8 there are shown partitions 33 and 34 having all of the characteristics just described in connection with the partition 14 shown in FIGS. 4 through 7. In FIG. 8 the wall 16 of the partition 33 is in its separated confronting relation with the Wall 28 of the partition 34. When the rib 30 of the wall 28 of partition 34 is projected into the recessed groove 21 formed in the wall 1 6 of partition 33, the corresponding cavities 17 and 29 of partitions 33 and 34 will provide a closed cavity for the movable switch components positioned therein between the partitions 33 and 34.

The opening 22 formed at the top wall 18 of the partition 33 will be in registration with the opening 31 formed in the top wall 18 of the partition 34. The slots 24 formed through the bottom wall 19 of partition 33 will be in horizontal alignment with the slots 32 formed in the bottom wall 19 of partition 34. The flanges 23 extending upwardly from the top wall 18 of the partitions 33 and 34 will be in a spaced parallel relation as shown in FIG. 1.

As each of the switch units includes an essential actuator 35 each actuator will project out of an opening defined by the confronting openings 22 and 31 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The switch units also include terminals 36, and they in turn will extend out of the confronting slots 24 and 32 of each juxtaposed partition as seen in FIG. 3. The parallelly extending flanges 23 will have formed in either side thereof openings 37 which will also be in horizontal alignment when the partitions are juxtaposed as seen in FIG. 1 so that the openings 37 may receive pivot pins of an external actuator lever (not shown).

The case 11 provides an external flat wall on one side and an internal wall on the opposite side which internal wall will possess all of the characteristics of outer wall 16 of the partition 14 heretofore described and shown in FIG. 4. The cover 12 will present an outer fiat wall and have its inner opposite wall formed to contain the characteristics of wall 28 of the partition 14 hereinbefore described and shown in FIG. 5. Thus when the plurality of partitions are juxtaposed as shown in FIG. 1, the case 11 and cover 12 will present oppositely disposed confronting wall surfaces which will be complementary to the opposite exposed walls of the endmost partitions and form closures for the complete switch housing 10.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A housing for a multitude of switch units, each having an actuator and connecting terminals projecting externally therefrom comprising:

(a) a plurality of hollow insulated partitions, each of which has a common center wall extending longitudinally therethrough providing open cavities on opposite side wall faces thereof adapted to be in con tiguous relationship with complementary wall faces of adjacent insulated partitions to form therebetween closed switch unit receiving cavities,

(b) each of said side wall faces of each partition to one side of its common center wall providing a lfiI'St means cooperating with complementary opposite wall faces of adjacent partitions to position said partitions in side-by-side relationship,

() each of said opposite wall faces of each partition providing a second means cooperating with the first means of an adjacent partition for positioning the partitions in side-by-side relationship,

((1) each of said partitions having a bottom wall having slots formed therein to either side of its common center wall with said slots aligned with slots of the adjacent partition to form elongated terminal receiving slots having open communication with the closed cavities on either side of the center walls of adjacent partitions,

(e) each of said partitions having a top wall which has formed therein to either side of the common center wall openings having open communication with the respective cavities formed in opposite wall faces of each partition through which projects a portion of an actuator for each switch unit, positioned in each cavity, and

(f) means for connecting together a plurality of partitions in side-by-side relationship with said first means on one wall face of one partition cooperating with the second means on the adjacent opposite wall face of the juxtapositioned partition so as to provide therebetween closed switch unit receiving cavities.

2. A housing for a multitude of switch units as defined by claim 1 wherein said first means provided by each of said side wall faces of each partition comprises a laterally extending peripheral rib cooperating with complementary opposite wall faces of adjacent partitions to position said partitions in side-by-side relationship.

3. A housing for a multiple of switch units as defined by claim 1 wherein said second means provided on the opposite wall faces of each partition includes a peripheral groove adapted to receive said first means provided by said side wall face of an adjacent partition to position to said partitions in side-by-side relationship.

4. A housing for a multitude of switch units as defined by claim 1, wherein said first means provided by said side wall faces of each partition includes a laterally extending peripheral rib adapted to cooperate with a second means provided by a cooperating wall face of an adjacent partition, said second means provided by said opposite wall face of an adjacent partition includes a peripheral groove adapted to receive the laterally extending peripheral rib formed on said side wall face of an adjacent partitions to position said partitions in side-byside relationship.

5. A housing for a multitude of switch units as defined by claim 1, including a base member having one side wall face provided with said first means cooperating with an opposite side wall face of an endmost partition providing a second means, and a cover member having one side Wall face provided with said second means cooperating with a side wall face of an opposite endmost partition providing said first means with said base member and cover member forming end closures for said side-by-side partitions.

6. A housing for a multitude of switch units as defined by claim 5 wherein said first means provided by each of said one side wall face of each partition and said one side wall face of said base member comprises a laterally extending peripheral rib cooperating with complementary opposite wall faces of adjacent partitions to position said partitions in side-by-side relationship.

7. A housing for a multitude of switch units as defined by claim 5 wherein said second means provided on the opposite wall face of each partition and said one side wall of said cover includes a peripheral groove adapted to receive said first means provided by said side wall face of an adjacent partition to position to said partitions in side-by-side relationship.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1965 Bury 200--168 4/1966 Reiner 200168 

